Mrs. Willetta Jean Hemphill

HEMPHILL, Mrs. Willetta Jean - Age 88, passed away Sunday, November 20, 2016 at Henry Ford Hospital-West Bloomfield, MI. Family hour 10:30AM Saturday, November 26, 2016 at House of Prayer Missionary Baptist Church, 1851 W. Carpenter Rd., with funeral service commencing at 11:00 AM Pastor Kenneth L. Stewart officiating. Interment Sunset Hills Cemetery, G-4413 Flushing Rd. Friends and pallbearers will assemble at the church 10:30 AM Saturday. Mrs. Hemphill will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 906 W. Flint Park Blvd., and may be viewed from 3:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday. Mrs. Willetta Jean (Harris) Hemphill was born June 2, 1928 in Gary, Indiana, the only child of Willie Harris and Charles Etta (Savage) Harris of Choctaw Native American and African Cultures from the Arkansas-Oklahoma areas. Willetta was baptized in Gary, IN at First Baptist Church. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1946 and attended Indiana University for a few semesters. Later she went to Secretarial School and worked at the Friendship House as a Secretary. Jean has been a resident of Flint, MI since 1950 when she married James L. Hemphill, Sr. They migrated to Flint to work at General Motors, where she was employed at Turnstedt/Fisher Body Coldwater Road, from January 1954 until her retirement in 1989. Jean enjoyed horticulture, always having exceedingly thick, green grass and beautiful flowers at her home. She also enjoyed cooking for family. "Mom was very generous and giving to her family and friends." Mrs. Willetta Jean Hemphill leaves to cherish her memory: three children, James L. Hemphill, Jr., Leonard R. (Gwen) Hemphill, all of Flint and Ms. Brenda J. Hemphill of West Bloomfield, MI; grandchildren, LaRonn (Tamika) Hemphill, Emil Hemphill, Khadijah (Abdul) West, Andre Stallings, Jamil (Deondra) Stallings, Tesah Hemphill, Karin Hemphill, Norrel Hemphill and Novee Pennyman-Hemphill; a host of great-grandchildren; cousins, Linda Daniels and Kay Stover, both of Indiana; special friends, Mrs. Kathryn Barnes, Mrs. Lula Philips, Mrs. Beverly Pitts, Mrs. Lilly Stallings, Mrs. Lucille Briggs and Mrs. Ella Lewis. Mrs. Hemphill was preceded in death by her parents, Willie and Charles Etta Harris. The family would like to express special thanks to: Joan Thompson, Pastor Isaiah and Mrs. Evie Jean Tilmon, Aquilla Kellar, Marvetria Houston and Dr. Michael Vincent.

Mrs. Willetta Jean Hemphill

June 2, 1928 - November 20, 2016